Silence at the end of the day

The last two summers have been such non-starters that I'd almost forgotten what it was like to suffer from hayfever. Just a couple of weeks ago I was confidently telling someone that I wasn't feeling the effects at all, and that in all probability my allergies had subsided. The next day my eyes were red and itching, my nose was sore, and I was being rocked by boughts of sneezes. A trip to Tesco replaced my out of date stockpile of Cetirizine tablets and I suddenly started to take more of an interest in the pollen section of the weather forecast.

The last time I had hayfever I was not fortunate enough to live by the sea. Now I can get there in just five minutes if I take the car down to the Torry battery. Just below this is the harbour's southern breakwater with its lighthouse. This place, with a narrow strip of beach and some interesting rocks is always a calming place to come. It tends to be quiet and you can watch the boats sail in and out of the harbour. It is also largely pollen free and the other night, as I enjoyed breathing in the clear, sea air, I witnessed a beautiful summer's sunset.

This photo, taken with the aperture stopped right down to f/22, was taken after most of the dramatic colour had disappeared from the sky. I am really pleased with the slightly monochromatic feel and also with the composition. I took a few other shots the same night which are now up on my Flickr site.